Ten people died and several others were seriously injured in a mass shooting at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz, police said on Tuesday.
The suspected assailant, believed to be a lone shooter, was among the dead, police posted on X.
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Authorities have not yet disclosed a potential motive for the violence.
Officials have not given further information about the perpetrator or the victims.
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Chancellor Christian Stocker was on his way to the scene in Austria’s second-largest city, along with top officials, as condolences and messages of support poured in from national and European leaders.
“This horror cannot be put into words.
“Austria is in mourning,’’ President Alexander Van der Bellen wrote on X.
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Police said the shots were fired at an upper secondary school around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), with special units quickly responding to the scene.
Students at such schools were typically 14 years and above.
The building had been evacuated, with students and teachers escorted to a safe meeting place.
Parents and uninjured students were taken to nearby buildings and cared for by crisis intervention teams, the city said.
Police wrote later on X that there was no further danger and that the situation was secure.
The spokesman for the local Red Cross said more than 160 rescue workers were sent to the scene.
Several rescue helicopters were also in operation, while a special emergency protocol was activated to ensure medical care for numerous injured individuals.
European leaders horrified by shooting
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in German on X:
“The news from Graz hits home. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends.”
“Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence,’’ she added.
European Council President António Costa said he was horrified by the news of the school shooting in Graz.
“A senseless act of violence in a place where children should feel safe and protected,’’ he wrote on X.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz also extended their condolences over the deadly shooting.
“It is with great dismay and deep sadness that I learnt of the act of violence in Graz, in which so many innocent people lost their lives,’’ Mr Steinmeier wrote to his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen.
“Your German neighbours are with you in their hearts,’’ Steinmeier said.
Mr Merz sent a message to Chancellor Stocker, saying he was deeply shocked that young people were torn from their lives so abruptly.
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Austria will observe three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting in Graz.
Chancellor Stocker is set to formally announce the decision this afternoon, a spokesperson for the chancellor’s office reported.
Flags at the presidential office, the chancellery, and other official buildings are to be flown at half-mast during the mourning period.
Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people.
(dpa/NAN)
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